National Basketball Association Game Capsules

Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Paul George did a little bit of everything
Thursday, totaling 24 points, 11 rebounds, six steals and five assists as the
Indiana Pacers took advantage of Carmelo Anthony's absence in an 81-76 victory
over the New York Knicks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Ian Mahinmi was the only
other Indiana player who finished in double figures, adding 13 points off
the bench in the club's third straight win and fifth in six games. The Pacers
held the Knicks to 26 points below their average two days after limiting the
reigning NBA-champion Miami Heat to 77 points. Anthony was serving a one-
game ban handed down by the league for confronting Boston's Kevin Garnett
following Monday's loss against the Celtics. Without the league's second
leading scorer, New York shot 35 percent from the field to drop back-to-back
games for just the third time this season. J.R. Smith scored a game-high
25 points, while Tyson Chandler added 12 points and 15 rebounds in the
setback.

Final Score: Dallas 117, Sacramento 112 (OT)

Sacramento, CA (Sports Network) - O.J. Mayo had 24 points, 10 rebounds and
five assists to give Dallas a 117-112 overtime win against Sacramento on
Thursday. Vince Carter scored 23 points and added five rebounds while
Shawn Marion posted 19 points with 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who
snapped a four-game slide. DeMarcus Cousins scored 29 points and added nine
rebounds for the Kings, who have dropped their past three games. Tyreke
Evans had 20 points and seven boards off the bench in the loss.

Final Score: Portland 92, Miami 90

Portland, OR (Sports Network) - Although they were outplayed for most of the
night, the Portland Trail Blazers kept their home winning streak intact.
Wesley Matthews nailed a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute, including the
go-ahead triple with 26.9 seconds left in the Trail Blazers' 92-90 win over
the Miami Heat. It was Portland's ninth straight home win. Nicolas Batum had
28 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Portland, which hasn't
dropped a home decision since Dec. 8 against the Sacramento Kings. LeBron
James finished with just 15 points, the first time all season he's been held
below the 20-point barrier. James was 12 games away from matching the most
consecutive 20-point games to start a season since the NBA-ABA merger at 45,
held by George Gervin in 1981-82. Chris Bosh netted 29 points to lead the
Heat, who have dropped three of their last four games.